


Not my Fandom, but it’s that Guy

by dance_the_code



Category: Numb3rs (TV), Supernatural RPF
Genre: International Fanworks Day 2019, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2019-10-29 03:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17799911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dance_the_code/pseuds/dance_the_code
Summary: Drabble for international fanworks day. Cooper spots someone while out on the road between fugitive hunts. He’s a good boyfriend(?) partner(?) occasional bedmate (?) So he does a thing. The international fanworks day challenge is for characters in one fandom to discover a new fandom...this fic might be a little literal on the discovery side. But I hope it encompasses the experience of those of us who are on the outside of a loved one’s fandom of choice.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ladyeternal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyeternal/gifts).



All characters and individuals mentioned in this fic belong to either themselves or their creators. 

Happy fanworks day, LadyEternal 

Billy Cooper looked around the diner a moment before settling into a corner booth with good sight lines. He had been coming here for years, good place on this particular stretch of highway, decent coffee, edible food. He watched everyone coming in and out while checking the menu. Paid only as much attention as needed. No one looking like they were about to rob the place, no one on his long mental list of fugitives that he needed to keep an eye out for or if their term was up make certain they were not bothering previous victims. 

And then there’s a fuss. A brief fuss. The waitress is a little too excited.

Cooper focused on the table. A guy. A familiar guy. Mental Rolodex of fugitives, criminals, family, nope. Not the usual suspects then. Familiar for a different reason. 

Right. That guy. The one from the show that Eppes watched. Faithfully. Despite the occasional mental breakdowns about something that Cooper couldn’t follow. The show with the angels and the demons and the apocalypse. The one that would result in setting aside of phone sex, rescheduled dinners...the obsession. 

Damn it. The guy had a name. He should walk over, apologize and ask for an autograph for Eppes. That would be embarrassing as hell, but the good boyfriend...wait, not boyfriend...partner...well, not any more...occasional bedmate...hell, the good friend thing to do. Or he could just take a picture with his phone. If he was sure he was going to do it right and not draw attention to himself. 

This would work out a lot better if he knew the guy’s name. He was the trench coat guy. 

Dammit. 

Cooper fussed with his cellphone a moment and the raised the phone up to eye level.

He took a picture. 

He then attached the picture to a text message.

Hey, Eppes. That guy from your show eats at Maggie’s. 

The buzz of his phone in response wasn’t from Eppes. Heads up on a fuguitive. Looks like this meal would be to go. 

Cooper paid his bill and did not look over at trench coat tv guy. Wrapped his sandwich in a napkin and headed out.

Hell. He was going to have to google it or something.


	2. Inside jokes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Cooper’s lack of knowledge when it comes to popular culture is a great source of amusement for Don

When they ran together it always surprised Don that Cooper was so out of touch with popular culture. He was completely adrift without an immediate answer for any trivia regarding popular movies, tv shows, games, books, it didn’t matter. It was just not there in Cooper’s head. 

Don’s on the other hand, was a repository for all kinds of popular culture. He knew the movies and in some cases completely by heart. He read the books, watched the shows, paid attention to the real life and the fan drama. Cooper didn’t seem to have any of that. He didn’t have an answer to the questions, favorite book? Favorite movie? T.V. Show? It just wasn’t there. To an extent it was a little weird, Cooper spent so much time on the road, you would think he would fill the time with something, but no. Cooper would watch things with him, but he would not become invested. 

Then, there was the shirt. 

The first of many shirts, but this was the first shirt.

Cooper had said something about their latest list of fugitives and Don had said it was a long list and Cooper, straight faced and without irony had said, C’mon Eppes, we gotta catch them all.

And when Don saw it, he couldn’t resist. 

Cooper had opened the bag and looked at the shirt. The red and white ball meaning absolutely nothing. The phrase gotta catch them all having no alternative meaning in the least.

“Uh, thanks Eppes.”

And Cooper wore it. And Don chuckled to himself every time. 

The next shirt proclaimed Cooper the world’s best seeker and Cooper wore that one too.

“Um, cool. But Eppes, what’s with the brooms?”

“Clean sweep?”

“Right...and the volleyball with wings?”

“Just a logo, Coop.”

“Thanks, Eppes.”

“No problem, Coop.” At least he didn’t need to hide the grin. 

Cooper also failed to recognize pikachu when Don gave him the next gotta catch em all shirt.

“Uh, thanks for the electric cat shirt, Eppes.”

“Electric cat?”

“Lightening cat?”

“Oh, right. Well, you liked the other one.”

“Yeah, of course, Eppes. Who doesn’t like presents, but where do you find a shirt like this? What is an electric cat about, anyway?”

“No clue, Coop.”

He thanked him again for a world class seeker shirt, though the “catch the snitch or die trying” part made him study Don very closely for a while. 

“Trying to tell me something, Eppes?”

“Nope, just saw it and thought of you.”

“Did they make some kind of mistake? There are brooms and one of those winged-volleyballs on this one too.”

“Just the company logo, Coop.”

“Weird, Eppes. But, thanks. Oddly specific, though.”

“Yeah, but if we don’t catch the snitch in this case, someone will probably kill him.”

Cooper looked at the shirt a moment and then nodded, before taking off the electric cat shirt and putting on the new one. “Okay, let’s go get him.”

Don was sure Coop would catch on eventually. Someone would have to see it and say something. But for now, he has his inside jokes and Cooper has a collection of shirts that he wears for no other reason than they were gifts from Eppes.


End file.
